日期：2025-01-30 Five I was afraid theyd do it, said the coroner apologetically. Local prejudice! Feeling rather than logic. The coroner, the Chief Constable, Superintendent Spence and Hercule Poirot were all in consultation together after the inquest. You did your... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Four The Inquest was held in the Cornmarket. The coroner, Mr. Pebmarsh, was a small fussy man with glasses and a considerable sense of his own importance. Beside him sat the large bulk of Superintendent Spence. In an unobtrusive seat was a small for... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Three With a pale determined face and watchful eyes, David had his hands on Rosaleens shoulders. It will be all right, Im telling you, it will be all right. But you must keep your head and do exactly as I tell you. And if they take you away? You sai... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Two The telephone rang and Lynn went to answer it. Rowleys voice spoke. Lynn? Rowley? Her voice sounded depressed. He said: What are you up to? I never see you these days. Oh, wellits all choresyou know. Running round with a basket, waiting for fish... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 III Major Porter had the first floor of a small shabby house. They were admitted by a cheerful blowsy- looking woman who took them up. It was a square room with bookshelves round it and some rather bad sporting prints. There were two rugs on the flo... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 II At four-thirty Rowley Cloade reappeared. Any luck, M. Poirot? But yes, Mr. Cloade, we go now to see an old friend of Captain Robert Underhays. What? Rowleys mouth fell open. He stared at Poirot with the amazement a small boy shows when a conjurer... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 BOOK II One I Hercule Poirot carefully folded the last of the newspapers he had sent George out to purchase. The information they gave was somewhat meagre. Medical evidence was given that the mans skull was fractured by a series of heavy blows. The... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Seventeen Superintendent Spence looked up at Shepherds Court, Mayfair, before stepping inside its agreeable portal. Situated modestly in the vicinity of Shepherd Market, it was discreet, expensive and inconspicuous. Inside, Spences feet sunk into so... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Sixteen Superintendent Spence looked thoughtfully across his table at Beatrice Lippincott, who was sitting with her lips compressed tightly together. Thank you, Miss Lippincott, he said. Thats all you can remember? Ill have it typed out for you to r... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Fifteen It was the custom at the Stag for guests to be called at whatever hour they named by the simple process of a loud bang on the door and the shouted information that it was Eight-thirty, sir, or Eight oclock whatever the case might be. Early t... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Fourteen Oh, there you are, Lynn. Adelas voice was brisk and relieved. I didnt hear you come in, darling. Have you been in long? Oh, yes, ages. I was upstairs. I wish youd tell me when you come in, Lynn. Im always nervous when youre out alone after... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Thirteen On that particular Tuesday afternoon, Lynn Marchmont had gone for a long walk. Conscious of a growing restlessness and dissatisfaction with herself, she felt the need for thinking things out. She had not seen Rowley for some days. After the... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Twelve When Rowley left the Stag his steps turned automatically in the direction of home, but after walking a few hundred yards, he pulled up short and retraced his steps. His mind took things in slowly and his first astonishment over Beatrices reve... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Eleven Rowley opened the big mauve envelope with some surprise. Who on earth, he wondered, could be writing to him, using that kind of stationeryand how did they manage to get it, anyway? These fancy lines had surely gone right out during the war. D... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 IV Inside room No. 5, David Hunter paused inside the door and looked at the man who had signed himself Enoch Arden. Fortyish, knocked about a bit, a suggestion of having come down in the worldon the whole a difficult customer. Such was Davids summin... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 III Coming out of the office, Beatrice Lippincott called, Lily. An adenoidal girl with a giggle and pale boiled-gooseberry eyes responded to the summons. Can you manage for a bit, Lily? Ive got to see about some linen. Lily said, Oh, yes, Miss Lippi... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 II When David strode into the hall of the Stag that evening, there was, as was usual, no one about. A door at the left was marked Coffee Room, a door on the right was marked Lounge. A door farther along was marked repressively For Resident Guests On... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 III About nine-thirty that night, Rowley pushed aside a heap of forms that had been littering the kitchen table and got up. He looked absentmindedly at the photograph of Lynn that stood on the mantelpiece, then frowning, he went out of the house. Te... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 Nine I It was a fine morning. The birds were singing, and Rosaleen, coming down to breakfast in her expensive peasant dress, felt happy. The doubts and fears that had lately oppressed her seemed to have faded away. David was in a good temper, laughi... 阅读全文>>

日期：2025-01-30 II At Long Willows Rowley Cloade had just finished making himself a cup of tea when a shadow falling across the kitchen table made him look up. If for just a moment he thought the girl standing just inside the door was Lynn, his disappointment turne... 阅读全文>>